Creating Space In Your Mix

Low frequencies can creep in to your track unnoticed when recording vocals and guitar using a microphone. Here you can see the frequencies that are present on a vocal recording and the eq I used to cut out the unwanted low end. This doesn't change the sound of the vocal as I don't cut into the frequency range of the singer. You can apply this technique to any of your tracks but be sure to not cut the frequency range you actually want to hear.

Clean up the project

Solo individual tracks to check for clicks and pops in your mix. These are easy to identify and cut during the mixing stage. If they are not removed from the mix the mastering process can emphasise them making them obvious to the listener. If there is a small click after vocal phrase, simply cut that click out and put small fades either side of where the click was.

Depth

When people talk about a track having ‘depth’, what they mean is how close or distant the different elements of the mix sound. Using effects such as reverb can make things sound far away, whereas a dry signal with no reverb sounds closer. Try and play around with varying levels of effects to give your mix depth.

Stereo Image

Panning is a useful tool for creating space in your mix. Utilising mono signals can help free up stereo space and increase focus on high energy elements. In many scenarios it is recommended to place your kick, bass, snare and vocals in mono. These files may already be in mono but if they're not you can use the gain plugin to sum them from stereo to mono. This helps the fundamental elements of your mix become the focus of your music. This also minimises changes to these instruments when you hear your mix in mono. You can use reverb and delay to enhance your vocals without affecting your mono signal. An effective way to do this is by employing a process called parallel processing. This is where you send your audio to a bus and place the reverb on the newly created auxiliary channel. You can then mix in as much reverb as you want without altering your original mono source.